[ Manila Bulletin Online ] July 13, 2008
By DEXTER A. SEE
BAGUIO CITY – The lucrative tourism industry of this mountain resort city is now on the decline because some tourist spots are poorly maintained and squatters are invading them.
The famous Crystal Cave here, home of stalagmites and stalactites, had reportedly registered a very low number of tourist arrivals in the past several years due to its dilapidated condition and the invasion of squatters, which destroyed its scenic view.
Crystal Cave is one of the tourist destinations used to be frequented by foreign and local nature lovers because of its unique condition.
Earlier, the Department of Tourism (DoT) reportedly removed Mines View Park from the list of priority tourist spots in the city because of the failure of the city government to check the rampant vending in the area which is an eyesore and nuisance.
Worst, squatter shanties have mushroomed at the areas around the view deck, marring the view of the famous mining areas in Itogon, Benguet.
The city government plans to construct a four-storey structure in the vicinity of the Mines View Park to house the many vendors and remove the obstructions so that tourists will be encouraged to visit the famous tourist spot.
However, the contractor who wound the contract for the P40-million project might not be able to implement it due to the skyrocketing prices of construction materials which make the funds for the project insufficient.
Other potential tourist spots in the city which are threatened by squatters are the Botanical Garden (formerly Imelda Park), the Wright Park, and Burnham Park.
Tourism stakeholders asked the city government to adopt measures to preserve and protect the tourist destinations and work for the improvement of the parks to provide tourists new attractions.
While the city government is investing in the facelifting of Burnham Park, the city’s premier tourist attraction, tourism establishments said more funds should also be allotted for the improvement of the other scenic destinations in the city.
